Repossessions in Craigavon on the increase

CRAIGAVON has seen house repossessions spike from just 45 in 2005 to 79 in 2011.

The borough has the fifth highest number of final possession orders in Northern Ireland with 440 carried out over the past six years.

In 2006 and 2007 the numbers fell with just 42 and 32 repossessions but in 2008 when the recession began numbers rose to 64 and peaked in 2009 when there were 90 repossessions in the district.

However, repossessions have been slowly declining since with 88 in 2010 and 79 in 2011.

In data obtained from the NI Court Service, Belfast was revealed as having the greatest number of possession orders overall with more than 1200. Derry was second with 626, followed by Lisburn and Newry and Mourne with more than 500 case orders.

The figures reflect repossessions of all types of property however domestic properties are believed likely to comprise the majority.

A spokesperson for the Department of Social Development said: “In August 2011, Minister (Nelson)0 McCausland announced over £500,000 funding for the Mortgage Debt Advice Service that will ensure the continuation of the advice service delivered by Housing Rights Service, until March 2015. Minister McCausland has also secured additional funding in the current financial year to help the service deal with the increased demand for assistance from those facing mortgage difficulties.

“This DSD-funded service operates during office hours and also provides alternative forms of access, such as the online virtual advisor, as well as extended contact hours to 8pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays providing greater flexibility for those facing mortgage difficulties to take advantage of the advice services on offer. Repossession should always be a last resort.”